Djon Mundine

Djon Mundine OAM (born 1951) is an Aboriginal Australian is a member of the Bandjalung people of northern New South Wales with an extended career as a curator, activist and writer. His career has helped revolutionize the criticism and display of contemporary Aboriginal art. He worked as art and craft advisor at Milingimbi in the Crocodile Islands in 1979 and curator at Bula-bula Arts in Ramingining in Arnhem Land where he originated Australia’s greatest artwork, the Aboriginal Memorial, on permanent display at the National Gallery of Australia.[1]

Djon Mundine

OAM
Born
John Mundine

Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
AwardsRed Ochre Award
Websitewww.djonmundine.com

Mundines' curatorial work is known for an emphasis on intricacy and difference in content and style while not compromising on the artists' cultural and political statements.[1]

Early life

Djon was born in Grafton, New South Wales in 1951. He was born 6th of 11 children to Roy Mundine and Olive Bridgette Mundine (nee Donovan). John's father Roy was a union stockman, and Olive's father had joined the first indigenous political party, the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association, in the 1920s. [2]His family was very poor growing up. They ultimately moved to Sydney, Australia when Mundine was 12. Speaking about his father, Mundine stated "My father encouraged us to think. I suppose you're not supposed to talk about sex and politics and religion at the table, but he'd get us to talk about whatever was in the papers."[3] His siblings include Roy, Anne, Olive, Kaye, Charles, Peter, Philip, Warren Mundine, James and Graeme. He is a Wehbal man from the West Bundjalung nation, from the Northern Rivers of New South Wales.[4] He is also a descendant of the Gumbaynggirr, Yuin people.[5]

Mundine spent his early life growing up in South Grafton. In 1963, his family settled in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn. Mundine went to the Catholic Benedict Marist Brothers College and went onto commence study at Macquarie University.[2]

In 1969, Mundine studied accounting and economics at university, where he ultimately dropped out twice. Although Mundine was fortune to obtain an education unlike others, he was a proud Bandjalung man and wanted to represented the Northern Rivers of New South Wales through the arts. He became a foundational figure in the criticism and evolution of contemporary Aboriginal art (glf5wfy).

Life Timeline[3]
  • April 1951: Born, Grafton, the sixth of 11 children.
  • 1963- 68 Marist Brothers Auburn and Parramatta.
  • 1969-1975 Two years at university, drops out. During this time he was a sales clerk, barman, waiter, laborer.
  • 1976-78 Operations manager, Aboriginal Arts and Crafts, Sydney
  • 1979-1995 Art adviser, Ramingining, Milingimbi and Maningrida, Northern Territory.
  • 1983-1993 Curator in the field - Art Gallery of NSW.
  • 1987 Djon was a founding member of the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA)[6]
  • 1988 Aboriginal Memorial installation at National Gallery.
  • 1993 Awarded Order of Australia medal for services to visual art.
  • 1993-2010 Curatorial roles including MCA, National Museum of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery and in Osaka, Japan.
  • 2012 Independent curator, PhD candidate College of Fine Art, UNSW
  • 2020 Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement

Career

Growing up in Aboriginal Australia, Mundine was exposed to the traditions of Aboriginal art and technique from a young age. When he decided that college was not the right path for him, he became an art advisor at Milingimbi Art Center in 1979. He worked there and at the Bula-bula Arts in Raiminging, Arnhem land as a curator for sixteen years (glf5wfy) [https://australiacouncil.gov.au/news/biographies/djon-mundine-oam-2020-red-ochre-award-for-lifetime-achievement/]

Along with working at the arts centers, Mundine played a significant role in the community and worked with many regional and community-based organisations across Australia such as Queensland Art Gallery. Mundine was dedicated to his culture and community which is why he joined the Association of Northern, Kimberley, and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA) as one of its founding members in 1987. To make sure that First Nations voices were heard through the sharing of art, he worked closely with communities and artists in all of his endeavors. Aside from his work in Australia, Mundine has held curatorial posts at numerous foreign institutions like the Art Gallery of NSW, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (glf5wfy). [https://australiacouncil.gov.au/news/biographies/djon-mundine-oam-2020-red-ochre-award-for-lifetime-achievement/]

Arafura Swamp Ramingining

Most famously, Mundine is known for his work as the concept artist and producer of the ‘Aboriginal Memorial’. The Aboriginal Memorial is a work of contemporary Indigenous Australian art from the late 1980s, and comprises 200 decorated hollow log coffins. Mundine created this piece to coincide with the white Australian Bicentenary celebrations in 1988.2 The 200 log coffins represent 200 years of European occupation. He aimed for the log coffins to resemble “a large war cemetery.” These logs are painted in orange, white, and ochre. Their design directly references the traditional hollow log mortuary ceremony of Central Arnhem Land.[7][8] The work was realised by 43 artists from Ramingining and neighbouring communities of Central Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. Artists who participated in its creation included David Malangi and George Milpurrurru. The work was created to coincide with the Australian Bicentenary and commemorates those Indigenous Australians who died as a result of European settlement. It was acquired by the National Gallery of Australia, where it is on permanent display. Its first exhibition was at the Sydney Biennale in 1988, and it was the centrepiece of an exhibition of Indigenous art at Russia's Hermitage Museum in 2000. As of 2014 it stands at the entry to the National Gallery's new wing that opened in September 2010. The Memorial was central to the 1988 Biennale of Sydney and remains on permanent display at the National Gallery of Australia in the main entrance hall.

In 1993, Mundine received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the promotion and development of Aboriginal arts, crafts and culture.

In 1994 he co-curated (with Fiona Foley) Tyerabowbarwarryaou — I Shall never Become a Whiteman,[9] for the Havana Biennale and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. Tyerabowbarwarryaou was the first exhibition to exhibit contemporary Aboriginal art at the MCA. Tyerabarrbowaryaou aimed to present a new voice of Aboriginal culture. Mundine was a curator for 'Aratjara’ exhibition (Dusseldorf, London, and Denmark, 1993–94). In 1994 Mundine and Foley worked together to co-create the MCA Aboriginal Art: The Arnott's Collection exhibition.[10] The exhibition was the first public display of the Arnott’s Biscuits Collection of Aboriginal Bark Paintings. The Arnott's Biscuits Collection of Aboriginal Bark Paintings comprises 275 bark paintings donated to the MCA in June 1993 by Arnott’s Biscuits Limited. The collection features works from the 1960s through to the early 1980s by important artists from the creative hubs in and around Groote Eylandt, Yirrkala, Galiwin’ku, Milingimbi, Maningrida, Ramingining, Gunbalanya, Wadeye and the Tiwi islands; places still significant today for their ongoing contribution to contemporary Aboriginal art practice. The collection is widely considered to be one of the most important collections of bark paintings in the world.

The Native Born (1996, MCA), is an exhibition and publication showing ceremonial and utilitarian weaving and artistic work from Ramingining community.[11] This led to the inclusion of artists such as Robyn Djunginy in the 1998 Sydney Biennale.[12] Other major exhibitions include They are Meditating: Bark Paintings from the Museum of Contemporary Art's Arnott Collection (2008).[13] The exhibition consisted of over 200 objects, similar to the Aboirigial Art memorial. He was able to pull over 200 pieces from the MCA's Raminging collection because of his role as a Curator at the center and association with the community for over sixteen years. He divided the collection between six different environments in the Raminging area including Larrtha’puy (mangroves), Diltjipuy (forests); Gulunbuy (waterholes); Retjapuy (jungles); Rangipuy(beaches) and Ninydjiyapuy (plains). Mundine made sure to honor and reflect the intricate kinship system of the Aboriginal culture by pulling pieces that not only depicting objects in nature, but represented the histories and social structures of Aboriginal Australia. [https://www.mca.com.au/artists-works/exhibitions/ramingining-1996/] By creating several exhibitions to this degree, it shows Mundine's dedication to his work and that he truly cares about accurately depicting and honoring Aboriginal art in the world. As a result of his work, a major catalogue published his work in 2000 and an international tour was organized to spread the exhibition (glf5wfy).

Between 2005 and 2006 Mundine was a research professor at the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) in Osaka, Japan as a Research Professor in the Department of Social Research.

In 2008, Mundine created another exhibition called "Etched in the Sun." The exhibition was organized by Basil Hall and held at Drill Hall Gallery. It consisted of several fine art prints that represented years of collaboration between Aboriginal artists and fine art printers. Artwork from indigenous artists like Judy Watson, Banduk Marika, and Jean Baptiste Apuatimi were represented. The catalogue explains that the artworks were made between 1997-2007 (glf5wfy). [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4497443?from=list]

Another exhibition that he curated in 2008 was the "Ngadhu, ngulili, ngeaninyagu: a personal history of Aboriginal art in the Premier State." It was held at the Campbelltown Arts Centre and included work from artists like Brooke Andrew, Bronwyn Bancroft, and Badger Bates (glf5wfy). [https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4557677]

In 2017 Mundine was the inaugural recipient of the Power Publications Award for Indigenous Art Writing for his essay "The Aboriginal Memorial: Australia’s Forgotten War",[14] published in Artlink[15]

In 2020 Mundine won the Australia Council's Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement.[16]

In 2022, Mundine led "The Dabee Family Choir Mural Project." The project originated from the Jimmy and Peggy Lambert Memorial Mural in Kandos Museum. It was created to honor the lives of Jimmy and Peggy, who were survivors of the Dabee Massacre in 1823. For the exhibition, Mundine had over 60 descendants finger paint Peggy and Jimmy's images. This is very unique because it scratches the traditional techniques used to create Aboriginal art and was a way for Mundine to bring a sense of modernity and innovation to the aboriginal art culture (glf5wfy). [https://cementa.com.au/artist/djon-mundine]

Most recently, Mundine has been working on the Dingo Project, an exhibition he curated for Ngununggula. The Dingo Project looks into the spiritual mythology and the history of the ancestral dingoes. The project also features works from artists such as Karla Dickens, Fiona Foley, and Daniel Boyd. The quality of the displays accurately shows how invested Mundine is to his work and shows the Australian why he is deeply respected (glf5wfy). [https://www.southerntablelandsarts.com.au/djon-mundine/]

Mundine is currently an independent curator of contemporary First Nation art and cultural mentor for fellow First Nation artists. He also continues to be an essential mentor, supporting emerging talent and assisting artists in constantly creating powerful, provocative artworks and shows that have an important influence on Australia's artistic scene. [https://australiacouncil.gov.au/news/biographies/djon-mundine-oam-2020-red-ochre-award-for-lifetime-achievement/] Additionally, Mundine is working on several upcoming projects and often shares his story and wisdom with the art community through podcasts and events like the "Art for our sake: Djon Mundine in Conversation." Because Mundine is a critical writer and has studied Aboriginal art for over four decades, he is well respected as a leading voice of art criticism on First Nations (glf5wfy). [https://bwf.org.au/2023/brisbane-writers-festival/art-for-our-sake-djon-mundine-in-conversation]

Djon Mundine remains a very prevalent name in the aboriginal community for his work and beliefs. As an author, Mundine is able to express his beliefs about art and stay relevant. Oftentimes, Mundine uses his pieces of writing as a means to look deeper into art, past its mediums and origins.[17] Additionally, several of his exhibitiions tell a deeper meaning to the cultural of Arnhem land and the Aboriginal people like "The Native Born: Objects and Representations From Ramingining, Arnhem Land," "Prints Made by Indigenous Artists In Collaboration With Basil Hall & Printers," and "Ngadhu, Ngulili, Ngeaninyagu: A Personal History of Aboriginal Art In the Premier State." Because of Mundine's numerous contributions to the Aboriginal art world, he has become an icon and his work will be celebrated for many years to come (glf5wfy).

Aside from his work, Mundine often uses his cultural significance to provide insight into aboriginal ways of life and thought. In his words, "Australian society struggles with a collective guilt – an arm-wrestle with a form of ‘a creature from the id’ both in the crimes wrapped in colonial history and a lack of restraint on the freedom of a new society full of possibilities. The artists mentioned above lived in a felt time of social change – Aboriginal people and Australian society in a deep time of power adjustment and increasing awareness of financial and social differences across race, gender, and class lines. Art and artists are always capable of seeing the world differently, and their work is able to move people in different ways. I think this is especially true of Aboriginal artists who are widely believed to have an intuitive sixth sense, in fact many artists are thought to possess a ‘sixth sense’. It is something pre-renaissance, pre-rationalist, beyond the usually considered ‘five senses’; sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. The artists in this exhibition all deal with a range of senses, not just visual. For example, the paintings of the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye in Aboriginal terms are sensed as song, dance movement, taste and scent rather than static visual images. These days there are other senses – such as equilibrioception (sense of balance) and proprioception (sense of body position, or kineosphere) – that are recognised physiological senses."[18]

Looking forward, Mundine is working on Ngununggula's second Entry Pavilion Commission. The Entry Pavilion Commission is an annual initiative in celebrating Gundungurra language, culture, and history. The exhibition is set to launch on 22 October 2023 and will be open for the public until November 26th (glf5wfy). [https://ngununggula.com/program/entry-pavilion-commission-or-djon-mundine-oam-faha]

Along with all of the exhibitions and his work as a curator and advisor in the community, Mundine has been a judge of the prestigious Telstra MATSIAA (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award). Currently, he is scheduled to tour at the Lands of the Saltwater People from August 10- 18. (glf5wfy) [https://renaissancetours.com.au/tour_leaders/djon-mundine/]

Honours and awards

Quotes from Djon Mundine
  • “Art is a cultural expression; a history of a people; a statement through a series of life experiences of self-definition; a recounting of an untold story; the bringing to light of a truth of history—a statement possibly unable to be made in any other way.”[22]

Writings and Works[22]

Exhibitions
Year Exhibition Co-Creators Artists Gallery Festival Location Description
2020 Three Visions of the Garingal Djon Mundine, Karla Dickens, Adam Hill, Jason Wing Mosman Art Gallery Sydney Festival Sydney, NSW From the early days of the colony, Sydney’s authorities built military sites designed to thwart invasion. Conscious of the irony, First Nations artists Blak Douglas, Karla Dickens and Jason Wing, working with curator Djon Mundine OAM, have taken over some of these secret sites for a series of poignant, darkly humorous, site-specific art installations created to inspire deep reflection and offer new perspectives on Sydney Harbour.
2019 Who Are These Strangers and Where Are They Going Fiona Foley Ballarat International Foto Biennal Ballarat, Victoria The exhibition brought together Foley’s acclaimed photographic series, large-scale installations, and the Sydney debut of a new musical soundscape premiered at the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. The title for the show came from the soundscape, created in collaboration with musicians Joe Gala and Teila Watson, based on the oldest known Aboriginal song documenting the first exchange between Captain Cook in 1770 by Foley’s ancestors the Batjala people of K'gari (Fraser Island). Was also presented by the National Art School in January 2020.
2017 Living in Their Times Daniel Boyd, Jason Wing, Peter McKenzie, Leanne Tobin, Amala Groom, BLAK Douglas (Adam Hill), Leah Flanagan, Sandy Woods, Chantelle Woods, Caroline Oakley, Bjorn Stewart, Karla Dickens and Warwick Keen.[24] Mosman Art Gallery Sydney Living in Their Times was an exhibition that reflected on the lineage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination and activism that both preceded and followed the landmark 1967 Referendum, in which Australians voted to formally remove passages from the Australian constitution that discriminated against Aboriginal people. The program included a restaging of Bungaree’s Farm, an immersive three-channel video installation reflecting on the life of Bungaree, an important Aboriginal figure in colonial Australia and the first person to be referred to as an ‘Australian’ and was first staged at Mosman Art Gallery in 2015.[24]
2015 Bungaree's Farm Daniel Boyd, Blak Douglas, Karla Dickens, Leah Flanagan, Amala Groom, Warwick Keen, Peter McKenzie, Djon Mundine OAM, Caroline Oakley, Bjorn Stewart, Leanne Tobin, Jason Wing, Chantal Woods and Sandy Woods. Mosman Art Gallery Sydney, NSW Bungaree's Farm is an exhibition composed of contemporary Aboriginal audio, video, performance, and installation art surrounding the legacy of Bungaree. Bungaree was known as the Chief of the Broken Bay Aborigines in Colonial Sydney. He was known as the first person to have been called Australian. The exhibition was commissioned in 2015 marking the 200th anniversary of the establishment of Bungaree's Farm by Gov. Macquarie on Jan 31, 1815[25]
2012 Shadowlife Natalie King Vernon Ah Kee, Bindi Cole, Brenda L. Croft, Destiny Deacon/Virginia Fraser, Fiona Foley, Gary Lee, Michael Riley, Ivan Sen and Christian Thompson. Bangkok Arts and Cultural Center Bangkok, Thailand Shadowlife was an exhibition that was toured around Asia, starting int Bangkok Thailand. It was curated by Djon Mundine and Natalie King, with works from nine Indigenous and one non Indigenous Australian artists. The works are meant to portray the shadow of history that people posses.
2012 Ghost Citizens: witnessing the intervention[26] Alison Alder, Bindi Cole, Fiona Foley, Dan Jones, Fiona MacDonald, Chips Mackinolty, Sally M Mulda, The Cross Art Projects Wollongong, NSW
Ghost Citizens follow us and infiltrate our daily lives. In a continent full of the ghosts and shadows of colonialism, the historical, social, and physical landscape is pitted. Each story is a ghost story loaded with shadows – a kind of ‘scar’ story. Djon Mundine OA[26]

Boards, committees and associations
Year Role Board, Committee or Association Location Description
2020 Member Biennale of Contemporary Art, Festival of Pacific Arts Noumea, New Caledonia
1985-2000 Member - Visual Arts AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee Canberra, ACT
1998 Executive Member Australian Indigenous Cultural Network Canberra, ACT The Australian Indigenous Cultural Network (AICN[27] was an initiative initially funded independently in 1998 by Richard Pratt, through the Australian Foundation for Culture and the Humanities. It became an incorporated association in 2001, and was jointly supported by the Australia Business Arts Foundation and AIATSIS. Patrick Dodson was the Chair of the Board at that point.
1991-98 Executive Member National Indigenous Arts Association (NIAAA) East Sydney NSW NIAAA (previously Aboriginal Arts Management Agency A.A.M.A) is

a national indigenous arts and cultural service and advocacy association

which advocates for the continued and increased recognition and

protection of the rights of Indigenous artists. NIAAA also provides

culturally appropriate advice, information, referrals and support services

to Indigenous artists and organisations.

1996      Member of the Indigenous Reference Group Intellectual Property Protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Canberra, ACT A Commonwealth Inter-Departmental Committee.
1996 Expert Examiner National Cultural Heritage Committee Canberra, ACT A committeed established by the Department of Communication and the

Arts under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986

1992, 95-96 Committee Member ATSIC Cultural Industry Advisory Committee (CIAC) Canberra, ACT A committee established by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Committee (ASIC) to develop and manage the Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander Cultural Industry Strategy.

1987 Founding and Executive Member Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Land Australian Aboriginal Artists (ANKA) Darwin, NT Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists (ANKA), the peak support and advocacy body for Aboriginal artists and Aboriginal-owned community art cntres spread across over one million square kilometres of country in the Top End of the Northern Territory and Western Australia
1989 Member Australia Council - Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Arts Committee Canberra, ACT
1985-87 Director Aboriginal Arts Australia

Other roles

References
  1. "Djon Mundine OAM".
  2. "Profile: Djon Mundine" (PDF).
  3. Feneley, Rick (1 May 2023). "Art's man of reckoning". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Djon Mundine". National Portrait Gallery (Australia). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  5. "Djon, 1990 (Printed 2013)".
  6. "Djon Mundine OAM: 2020 Red Ochre Award For Lifetime Achievement". Australia Council for the Arts. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  7. KAREN HARDY. Iconic project a call to reflect. Canberra Times, [s. l.], p. 10, 12 out. 2018. Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=DOC729ZYDJS1BK1FI1O7CGX&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Acesso em: 2 maio. 2023.
  8. https://oce.ovid.com/article/00001888-201312000-00031?relatedarticle=y. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. Tyerabowbarwarryaou — I Shall never Become a Whiteman
  10. MCA Aboriginal Art: The Arnott's Collection
  11. The Native Born
  12. "Djon Mundine :: biography at :: at Design and Art Australia Online". www.daao.org.au. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  13. They are Meditating: Bark Paintings from the Museum of Contemporary Art's Arnott Collection
  14. "Award Announcement: The Inaugural Recipient of the Power Publications Award for Indigenous Art Writing". Power Publications. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  15. Artlink Issue 35:1 | March 2015
  16. The Australia Council’s Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement
  17. DJON MUNDINE. THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN WITH THE HELP OF MARLO SLAVIN. Yes, there is such a thing as bad Aboriginal art .. Sydney Morning Herald, The, [s. l.], p. 14, 12 set. 2001. Disponível em: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=SYD-4YIEZTML8RC73GR4DJO&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Acesso em: 2 maio. 2023.
  18. "An Interview with Djon Mundine and Judith Blackall, Co-Curators, and Nasim Nasr, Participating Artist, in "Sixth Sense," National Art School Gallery, NSW, Australia". HuffPost. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  19. "Djon Mundine - OAM". Australian Honours. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 13 June 1993. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  20. Festival, Cementa. "Cementa Artist | Djon Mundine". Cementa Festival Site Artists. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  21. Museums and Galleries National Awards 2015
  22. "Djon Mundine". Djon Mundine. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  23. "Twined: weaving and abstraction, Djon Mundine — 23 July 2010 - The Cross Art Projects". www.crossart.com.au. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  24. "Living in Their Times". Art Almanac. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  25. "Djon Mundine - General 1". Djon Mundine. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  26. "Ghost Citizens: Witnessing the Intervention. Curators Djon Mundine and Jo Holder — 21 June to 21 July 2012 - The Cross Art Projects". crossart.com.au. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  27. )Australian Indigenous Cultural Network (AICN)
  28. & Wood Mallesons Contemporary First Nation Art Prize
  29. Woollahra Small Sculpture Award
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